I’m getting Olympic fever again. With just a few weeks to go, I can’t wait for the competitions to begin.

I’ve started watching the run-up events: downhill slalom and a figure skating exhibition last weekend. Once the Olympics are here, I’ll be glued to my television, eager to see whatever’s on. Curling. Skiing. Hockey. Figure skating.

The Olympics — winter and summer — burst with possibilities. On any given day, an athlete can find perfection. It can happen. It has happened.

I was a young teen when Olga Korbut was dazzling judges in gymnastics with her perkiness and smile, not to mention her skill. Just a few years later, Nadia Comenici made history with a perfect 10 on the uneven bars in the 1976 Olympics.

I watched Dorothy Hamill’s grace on ice. Thrilled at the “Miracle” when the U.S. hockey team beat Russia.

As this year’s Olympic athletes test their mettle, I’ll be right there sharing their thrill of victory and agony of defeat.

Even sports that are less popular with an American audience grab my attention. Who knew curling was so complex? It’s not just a bunch of people with a big puck and brooms out on the ice; it’s a game of fractions. Brush that broom just a little too long and the shot goes way off line.

And the luge? Good grief! Racing down an icy slope at speeds that can reach 90 mph, with your arms tucked at your sides? They must be crazy!

I’m more familiar with figure skating, having traced my share of patterns on frozen ponds in my youth. Of course I never managed anything more advanced than maybe skating backward, but when I was out there, I was Dorothy Hamill.

If I had her dedication, her training, her skill, I could be in the Olympics, I told myself.

My fascination now isn’t in creating a fantasy world in which I’m the Olympian. I’m intrigued by the real stories behind every athlete, and how they got there.

The Olympics is a smorgasbord of athletic contests, featuring performers at their peak. Even if I don’t understand all the nuances of a particular sport, I can appreciate the training, skill and dedication the athletes show.

Watching the Olympics reminds me of the infinite possibilities that exist for all of us.